32. Groundwater Quality for Irrigation in Haryana

Abstract

Analysis of water samples collected during May 2002 from shallow dug-wells and hand-pumps in Haryana has revealed that on an average 60% of ground waters in the state are of fresh (good) quality, 16% are saline, 15% are sodic and the remaining 9% are saline-cum-sodic (poor). Ambala, Yarrmnanagar, Panipat, Jind, Kaithal, Kurukshetra and Karnal districts have predominantly good quality waters, whereas most part of Sonepat, Sirsa, Bhiwani, Rewari, Gurgaon and Rohtak districts have poor quality waters. Some parts of Hissar, Sirsa, Bhiwani, Mahendergarh and Faridabad districts have sodic waters, which contained low amount of soluble salts but very high amount of residual sodium carbonate (RSC). These waters can become a useful source of supplemental irrigation provided they are treated for their calcium deficiency by addition of optimum amount of gypsum during irrigation. Besides its suitability for irrigation, 70% of these ground waters are fit for domestic including drinking use. Waters with high EC and with non-permissible concentrations of nitrate and fluoride have been found at few places in the districts of Karnal, Rohtak, Jind, Jhajjar, Faridabad and Mahendergarh.